Chapter Twenty-two
"Oh no. Daddy." Becky sighed as she walked into the kitchen.
Rafe looked up from the stove where he was frying bacon. "Hey Angel Face. I'm letting Mommy sleep this morning. What can I get you?"
"Cocoa Puffs." She smiled at him.
"Sweetheart, don't you want eggs? Or pancakes?" He asked.
"Nuh uh. Don't you remember?" Becky looked at him with eyes full of innocence. "Daddy - you can't cook so good."
"Hey Dad! I thought you were trying to make up with Mom not start another fight." Grant said laughing.
Rafe looked at his son, confused. Why was everyone giving him such a hard time? "I am. I'm letting her sleep. What do you want for breakfast?"
"I'm with Becks." He said as he pulled two bowls out of the cupboard. "Cereal's the safest." He poured a bowl for Becky and then looked at the mess around him, noting a bouquet of roses on the counter. "She's going to kill you when she sees her kitchen. I don't even think the pink roses are going to help." He went to the refrigerator and came back to his sister, pouring milk over both bowls. He handed Becky a spoon.
"Really? I was out at the crack of dawn trying to find them." Rafe muttered.
"They're very pretty flowers Daddy. Like mine from Colin." Becky said with a smile, milk dripping down her chin.
"What did you do anyway?" Grant asked as he shoved cereal in his mouth and gave Becky a napkin.
"I'm still not sure." Rafe admitted. "I guess I said the wrong thing to Kate."
"You're real good at that." Grant chuckled.
"Hey!" Rafe glared at his son. "It isn't enough that we're outnumbered? Now you're turning on me?"
"I'm just telling the truth." Grant laughed louder.
Kate walked in and surveyed the situation. "Oh God, Daddy. Mom's going to go ballistic."
"Not you too." Rafe sighed. "Katie. I'm sorry if I said something to upset you last night. I didn't mean to."
"It's OK Dad." She said, pouring herself some cereal. "I understand. You can't help yourself."
The goal was to let her sleep in, but it was clear all the commotion had woken her up. "Rafe..." Alison said with a sigh as she walked into the kitchen. "What on earth are you doing?"
"Eat up girls. That's our cue to leave." Grant said with a grin. "We'll drop Becky off at practice. Kate and I are going to the library to study."
Becky walked over to the sink, carrying her empty bowl carefully. "Sorry Daddy. Cocoa Puffs are tons better than your pancakes."
"That's OK, Angel Face. Have fun at practice." Rafe said as he kissed the top of her head.
"Good luck Dad." Grant said with a smile.
Rafe glared at his son again.
"I forgive you Daddy." Kate said as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "See you later Mom." Kate called out as they all marched through the back door.
Alison watched the car pull out of the driveway. She turned to face Rafe, trying not to laugh herself.
"Thank you for letting me sleep late." She said, holding back her smile.
He looked at her sheepishly. "You're welcome. Do you want some breakfast?"
"What did you make?" She asked.
"So far?" He squinted his eyes at her. "Bacon."
She honestly didn't believe him. "Rafe. You used every pan I own to make bacon?"
"Well. I mixed the pancake batter but it's really runny. I think I put too much of something in it." He switched off the stove, giving up.
"How long have you been up?" Alison asked, spying the roses on the counter.
He looked into her eyes and told her the truth. "On and off all night. I can't sleep without you."
"Me either." She said with a smile.
"I'm sorry." He said as he picked up the flowers and moved towards her. Rafe held out a single rose as a peace offering. She took it from him and melted.
"Me too." She sighed as she brought the flower to her nose and inhaled the scent. She eased into his arms. "I know your heart is in the right place. I just wish you'd stop and think sometimes before you open your mouth."
Rafe knew she had a point, but he also knew it was hopeless. "I can't help it. I honestly don't believe anyone deserves her."
Alison knew it too, but still had to make her point. "That's unfair to her, Rafe."
"She's so young." He said as he pulled her close.
"She's not much younger than I was when I met you." Alison reminded him.
"That's different. You were living on your own."
"So should we let her move out?" Alison giggled.
He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Do you feel that? You're giving me a coronary. That's what I'm going to have if you keep this up."
"I thought it was just me being near you that did that?" She said with a sexy grin.
"That too." Rafe smiled as he leaned down to press his lips to hers.
"Do you hear that?" Alison asked him as he pulled away.
He looked at her confused. "No. What?"
"The sound of us. Home. Alone." She said softly.
"We are aren't we?" Rafe replied as he ran his hand down her spine.
"Mmm hmmm." Alison kissed him gently and placed the rose back on the counter.
"So." Rafe asked between kisses. "Does that fact that you're letting me kiss you mean that I'm forgiven?"
"You're well on your way." She replied.
"What else do I have to do?" He asked as he took her mouth again.
"Take me to bed." She whispered against his lips as he swept her up in his arms.
Rafe grinned widely as he moved towards the stairs. "I may not be able to make breakfast, but that – I can certainly do."
"Oh no. Daddy." Becky sighed as she walked into the kitchen.
Rafe looked up from the stove where he was frying bacon. "Hey Angel Face. I'm letting Mommy sleep this morning. What can I get you?"
"Cocoa Puffs." She smiled at him.
"Sweetheart, don't you want eggs? Or pancakes?" He asked.
"Nuh uh. Don't you remember?" Becky looked at him with eyes full of innocence. "Daddy - you can't cook so good."
"Hey Dad! I thought you were trying to make up with Mom not start another fight." Grant said laughing.
Rafe looked at his son, confused. Why was everyone giving him such a hard time? "I am. I'm letting her sleep. What do you want for breakfast?"
"I'm with Becks." He said as he pulled two bowls out of the cupboard. "Cereal's the safest." He poured a bowl for Becky and then looked at the mess around him, noting a bouquet of roses on the counter. "She's going to kill you when she sees her kitchen. I don't even think the pink roses are going to help." He went to the refrigerator and came back to his sister, pouring milk over both bowls. He handed Becky a spoon.
"Really? I was out at the crack of dawn trying to find them." Rafe muttered.
"They're very pretty flowers Daddy. Like mine from Colin." Becky said with a smile, milk dripping down her chin.
"What did you do anyway?" Grant asked as he shoved cereal in his mouth and gave Becky a napkin.
"I'm still not sure." Rafe admitted. "I guess I said the wrong thing to Kate."
"You're real good at that." Grant chuckled.
"Hey!" Rafe glared at his son. "It isn't enough that we're outnumbered? Now you're turning on me?"
"I'm just telling the truth." Grant laughed louder.
Kate walked in and surveyed the situation. "Oh God, Daddy. Mom's going to go ballistic."
"Not you too." Rafe sighed. "Katie. I'm sorry if I said something to upset you last night. I didn't mean to."
"It's OK Dad." She said, pouring herself some cereal. "I understand. You can't help yourself."
The goal was to let her sleep in, but it was clear all the commotion had woken her up. "Rafe..." Alison said with a sigh as she walked into the kitchen. "What on earth are you doing?"
"Eat up girls. That's our cue to leave." Grant said with a grin. "We'll drop Becky off at practice. Kate and I are going to the library to study."
Becky walked over to the sink, carrying her empty bowl carefully. "Sorry Daddy. Cocoa Puffs are tons better than your pancakes."
"That's OK, Angel Face. Have fun at practice." Rafe said as he kissed the top of her head.
"Good luck Dad." Grant said with a smile.
Rafe glared at his son again.
"I forgive you Daddy." Kate said as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "See you later Mom." Kate called out as they all marched through the back door.
Alison watched the car pull out of the driveway. She turned to face Rafe, trying not to laugh herself.
"Thank you for letting me sleep late." She said, holding back her smile.
He looked at her sheepishly. "You're welcome. Do you want some breakfast?"
"What did you make?" She asked.
"So far?" He squinted his eyes at her. "Bacon."
She honestly didn't believe him. "Rafe. You used every pan I own to make bacon?"
"Well. I mixed the pancake batter but it's really runny. I think I put too much of something in it." He switched off the stove, giving up.
"How long have you been up?" Alison asked, spying the roses on the counter.
He looked into her eyes and told her the truth. "On and off all night. I can't sleep without you."
"Me either." She said with a smile.
"I'm sorry." He said as he picked up the flowers and moved towards her. Rafe held out a single rose as a peace offering. She took it from him and melted.
"Me too." She sighed as she brought the flower to her nose and inhaled the scent. She eased into his arms. "I know your heart is in the right place. I just wish you'd stop and think sometimes before you open your mouth."
Rafe knew she had a point, but he also knew it was hopeless. "I can't help it. I honestly don't believe anyone deserves her."
Alison knew it too, but still had to make her point. "That's unfair to her, Rafe."
"She's so young." He said as he pulled her close.
"She's not much younger than I was when I met you." Alison reminded him.
"That's different. You were living on your own."
"So should we let her move out?" Alison giggled.
He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Do you feel that? You're giving me a coronary. That's what I'm going to have if you keep this up."
"I thought it was just me being near you that did that?" She said with a sexy grin.
"That too." Rafe smiled as he leaned down to press his lips to hers.
"Do you hear that?" Alison asked him as he pulled away.
He looked at her confused. "No. What?"
"The sound of us. Home. Alone." She said softly.
"We are aren't we?" Rafe replied as he ran his hand down her spine.
"Mmm hmmm." Alison kissed him gently and placed the rose back on the counter.
"So." Rafe asked between kisses. "Does that fact that you're letting me kiss you mean that I'm forgiven?"
"You're well on your way." She replied.
"What else do I have to do?" He asked as he took her mouth again.
"Take me to bed." She whispered against his lips as he swept her up in his arms.
Rafe grinned widely as he moved towards the stairs. "I may not be able to make breakfast, but that – I can certainly do."